


Return To Work

by Turbulent_Muse



Series: Magnusquerade stories [8]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Do Not Archive (The Magnus Archives), Gen, Mind Manipulation, Not very graphic descriptions of people being REALLY sick, Swearing, Vampire AU, passive mind manipulation, sort of background Jon/Martin but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22150402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turbulent_Muse/pseuds/Turbulent_Muse
Summary: A Magnusquerade fic. After Jon returns from being kidnapped, he finds his thralls in a truly awful state. Alternate take on the events of Consequences of Supervisory Absence by Nevanna. That's right, two cakes!
Relationships: Jonathan Sims & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan Sims
Series: Magnusquerade stories [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600123
Comments: 10
Kudos: 98
Collections: The_Magnusquerade





	Return To Work

Tim felt like shit. Actually, no, he had felt like shit for the first couple of weeks Jon had been gone. Now he felt like he was dying.

When Jon disappeared, Martin had been a nervous wreck, fretting and worrying himself half out of his mind. Tim had felt worry too, but it wasn’t a natural worry. It was stupid evil vampire powers making him hope Jon was okay. Tim honestly hoped Jon was dead. Or he would have, if that didn’t mean he was either going to die or have to go back to Elias. And at this point Tim didn’t know which would be preferable.

After a few days, Tim started feeling a pull, like a magnet, telling him to find Jon, he _needed_ to find Jon. He’s sure he would have just started walking if the pull had any direction to it, but instead he was just _stuck_ here with the feelings of guilt and shame and _how dare you stay away, he needs you, GO TO HIM_ echoing in his head. He kept dragging himself to work half to look for Jon and half so he could deal with these feelings by yelling at Elias, one of his last true joys in life. (He wasn’t going to acknowledge the fact that being near Elias _almost_ felt better, _almost_ felt right. Because acknowledging that meant acknowledging that Elias was probably just a little bit still in his head and, no, he couldn't deal with that.)

As he started feeling shittier he started leaving the Institute less. Martin was occupying the cot in document storage so Tim brought a sleeping bag from home and slept by his desk. He spent every minute he had the strength to sit up going through everything they knew about Jon’s recent whereabouts, looking for him, both because he needed to stop feeling sick and because he hadn’t the willpower left to fight against what the magic was telling him to do. He swore when Jon got back or he found him or whatever happened first he was going to punch him right in his stupid face for doing this to him and Martin. Martin was sure that Jon wasn’t gone by choice, wouldn’t leave them for this long, but Tim honestly didn’t care if it was intentional or not. Jon was hurting them either way.

As Tim and Martin’s strength faded Melanie and Basira started bringing them food and fresh trash bags to vomit that food into five minutes later. He kept trying to eat though, and made sure Martin did to. He knew that starvation and dehydration would get them faster than this stupid terrible magic bond that he had never asked for and didn’t want.

When Jon returned Tim was so feverish and tired he thought it might be a hallucination. “Boss…” he said weakly, feeling too bad to even be happy at Jon’s return and the salvation it promised. A part of Tim’s mind was screaming at him to get up and run to Jon, but his body just wouldn’t obey. Jon turned and saw him on the floor, shivering and stinking of sweat and vomit, and his already harrowed expression grew more horror-stricken.

“Tim!” He called out and rushed over to him.

“Boss, I need…”

“I know.” Jon bit his wrist and offered the blood to Tim.

Tim reached out and grabbed Jon’s arm with all the meager strength he had left and held it against his mouth as he drank. And everything was suddenly okay again. Tim felt his strength returning as Jon’s mind returned to his mind and comforted him. Everything would be fine now because Jon was _here_. Tim didn’t even have the strength to fight against these feelings, he just cried in relief at once again _belonging_ to Jon.

After… he couldn’t say how long, he became aware of Jon wiping away his tears. He leaned into the touch and Jon looked shaken. “Are you… feeling better?” Jon asked. Tim nodded his head vaguely and this seemed to be convincing enough for Jon to turn his attention elsewhere. “Tim,” Jon said. “Tim, where’s Martin?” Tim pointed to document storage and Jon started to get up. Tim clutched weakly at Jon’s clothes as he did. “Tim, ah, it’s okay. I’m only going right over there to help Martin and then I’ll be back. I promise, okay?.” Tim held on for another moment, looking Jon in the eyes, and then he let go.

As Tim returned fully to himself laying there on the floor of the archives he started crying for entirely different reasons.

…...

Martin did not take it well when Jon disappeared. He worried himself so sick that when the symptoms of their separation set it it took Martin a day or two to notice. He wasn’t sure if the constant loop of _how could you let this happen, what if he’s hurt, it’s your fault, find him find him FIND HIM_ in his mind was from the thrall or his own guilty sense of responsibility. He spent every waking moment trying to track Jon down and put off sleep for as long as he could. Maybe that made the sickness hit him worse, because soon he was even more helpless than Tim. His whole body ached as though with the worst kind of fever and it got to the point where he couldn’t even take a sip of water or eat a single cracker without it coming back up almost immediately, and he felt so horrible that without Tim’s insistence he probably would have given up on food and water altogether.

When Jon threw open the door to document storage and woke Martin from a fitful sleep he just started sobbing. Jon looked at him in confusion.

“I’m so sorry, Jon!” He managed to get out between sobs. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you!”

Jon moved to his side and put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. “Martin, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. I’m sure you tried as hard as you could to find me.” Martin’s sobs slowed but did not stop. “You-you did good, Martin. I don’t blame you, I didn’t leave you on purpose.” Jon felt some of the tension slip away from Martin’s shoulders as he said this and for a moment he was worried Martin was about to pass out. “Here,” Jon pulled Martin up into a sitting position. “Let’s just focus on getting you feeling better.” He reopened the wound on his wrist and pressed it to Martin’s mouth.

Martin took the offered blood eagerly and welcomed Jon back into his mind with just as much enthusiasm. Every time the enthrallment told him _you’re mine_ Martin’s own mind responded with an almost desperate _I’m yours_. There was no conflict or resentment like with Tim, Martin was now and always had been so very willing to submit to Jon, to do whatever the blood told him. It was a warm feeling, being trusted like that, _obeyed_ like that, and Jon hadn’t realized just how much he had missed this until right now and tears stung his own eyes. He had to work to stop himself from drowning out Martin’s own will completely as he rubbed circles comfortingly onto his back. Martin, for his part, seemed all too happy to get lost in the feeling of being _kept_ , being cherished. It was like a balm easing all the pain that had been building up in him for almost a month.

When Jon pulled back mentally and physically Martin made a small whimper of protest. Jon put a hand on Martin’s forehead and used his other hand to brush the hair out of Martin’s face as he looked him over intently. “Are you feeling better? Was that enough?”

Seeing Jon fret and worry over him made warmth rise up in Martin’s chest, but he put those feelings aside for now. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine now. How’s Tim?”

“I, uh, I think he’s okay… We should go check on him.”

But when they left document storage they found the Archive empty. Tim had gone, abandoning his sleeping bag.

“Well, I guess he was at least well enough to leave.” Jon said with a shrug. He could tell through the newly rekindled bond that Tim was mostly fine. Physically fine, anyway, but who here was even close to being mentally fine?

“Jon…” Martin said, turning his mind from the immediate moment to the surrounding circumstances. “Where were you? What happened?”

“It was that _damn_ circus.” Jon started. He took a deep breath. The exhale was shaky. Tears stung the corners of his eyes. He tried to compose himself for a moment but then gave up, threw his arms around Martin, and began sobbing. “I-I was so scared. I thought I was going to _die_.”

Martin put his arms around Jon and tried to comfort him. “It’s okay. You’re back now—You’re _safe_. I’ve got you.” He held Jon while his sobs slowly subsided.

Jon collected himself but stayed in Martin’s embrace. “I’m _never_ going to let this happen to you again. I promise, wherever I go, I’ll come back. I’ll always come back.”

“Okay. I believe you.” Martin said sincerely. “Jon, you… you look like you’ve been through _hell_.”

“I suppose I have.” Jon thought back to his time held captive by Orsinov, but also the… _conversation_ he’d just had with Elias. In all honesty he felt like he could collapse at any minute.

“Jon, do you need—”

“Yes.” Jon said with feeling.

“Okay.”

Jon pulled himself up onto his tiptoes and sank his fangs into Martin’s neck. The rush and the pleasure and the _rightness_ of it all that Jon felt and _Saw_ Martin feel was practically routine by now. For the first time in a long time, though, Jon truly felt the restorative power of the blood bringing him back to, well, not to _life_ exactly but as close as he could get.

After he pulled away he felt better. Still tired, but better. He yawned. It looked like a cat’s yawn, revealing the sharp teeth normally hidden within the mouth. Martin smiled. “You should get some rest, Jon.” He said, and led them both to document storage.

“What about you?” Jon asked. The cot only had enough room for one, and Martin looked about as tired as Jon felt.

“I’ll grab Tim’s sleeping bag.”

After they were settled and drifting off to sleep Jon finally let himself truly calm down for the first time since he’d been kidnapped. He was free, he was safe, and he, Martin, and Tim were all okay. The world was still going to end, but he could deal with that after a good night’s sleep and a shower. For now, he just listened to Martin’s breathing as he fell into the best sleep he’d had in almost a month.

The next morning he woke up to Tim dragging him upright and punching him in the face.

“Yeah.” Jon said. “That’s fair.”

“The hell were you thinking, _boss_?!” Tim said it like a curse.

“Mostly ‘Oh god, oh god, someone rescue me before this crazy circus creature takes my skin.” Jon deadpanned.

“It was… the circus…” Tim said, shocked.

“Yes.”

“Do you know where they were keeping you? How many of them were there?” Tim was starting to sound desperate.

“Tim, I… I’m still feeling—”

“ _Focus_ , Jon!” The shout was loud, but not loud enough to wake the still sleeping Martin.

“Tim!” Jon yelled back. He tried not to scold Tim with his mind as well, but he was tired and angry and it couldn’t be helped.

Tim looked genuinely contrite. And not even frustrated or resentful. “I’m sorry. I just…”

“Tim, I _will_ give you all a full report of what happened, I swear, but right now I’m still too weak. I can barely think straight. I need—”

“Right.” Tim said and tilted his head back.

Jon carefully got to his feet and stepped over Martin. “Are you alright? You’re not usually this… eager. Is it because I was gone for so long?”

“Maybe some.” Tim replied. “But mostly I just want to do anything I can to take these fuckers down as soon as possible.”

“Well, there at least, we are in agreement.” Jon said and bit into Tim’s neck.


End file.
